Ethrill ON HIATUS
by prettygirl17
Summary: Team Rocket is running a large scale experiment. And Drew's an easy target, he never had a family. Meanwhile, can Misty save Ash from a worse fate? From himself? Daml Aaml
1. Prologue

**A/N ****I wrote this at about thirteen years (my age). As such, it is filled with corny cliches, and way too much sweet and tender love scenes. This story holds a very special place in my heart. It was the first story that I ever finished, and the only one I never showed to a soul. Please be kind. I do not write like this now (though some of it I wish I did still). This story is incredibly important to me. **

**As a side note, if that makes you leave you will be MISSING OUT! It may be written by a thirteen year old, but the imagination that went into this was beyond what I usually use. This is a deep adventure story, with plot and romance that is unique. Though I'm not trying to brag (really). Also, if you're thirteen or younger, I mean no disrespect. Imagination is ripest at these ages. Keep writing if you do so.**

**Warning: If you do not like AshxMisty or DrewxMay, you will hate this story with all you possess. Please leave the page. If you like these couples and enjoy the occasional overly cliche sweet moments, chances are you will love this story.**

**Alright enjoy. Review! I sincerely hope that this story is enjoyed. It's honestly the only reason that I am posting it.**

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><p><em>He was lying on his back on an empty bed. White sheets covered the bed, but common luxeries ended there. Nobody would believe that the room was the living quarters of a young child. There wasn't a toy in site, nor anything that a boy might enjoy. A few scratchy blankets were heaped in a pile on the floor, pushed off of the bed because of the heat. There was no pillow, but he didn't care for them anyway. . . . That was what he told himself. When something went wrong his common reasoning to himself was that he didn't care. Because in order to make it through he had to not care. Caring made it harder.<em>

_Slipping out of bed in a scratchy jeans and a green sweater that seemed significantly larger than it was supposed to be for one so small, the boy stealthily tip-toed to the door and hesitantly placed his ear against it. He didn't want it to happen, but he had to hear. Noise came at him from down the hall outside his room, then down the stairs that led to a small kitchen. Screaming. A girl was screaming, which was quickly followed by various crashing sounds._

_Again she screamed, but this time she called out a name. His name._

_He flinched and clenched his eyes shut, willing back any tears that would try to show his weakness. It didn't work._

_Again she called._

_He bit his lip, willing himself courage, and peaked through the door without opening it all the way. No one was outside the door, but he still couldn't move. He knew they were both down stairs, but he had to make sure. Another crash; he closed his eyes and began to shake. She continued to call for him and he knew why. It was supposed to be him down there, not her, everything was because of him. But still . . . he couldn't find the courage to move his feet down the hall and announce that he should be punished, to switch the terrible pain from his mother to him._

_She didn't say a name now. She knew she couldn't, _he_ was sick of hearing it. Instead she pulled in a breath and begged. "_Please_!" Then it was silent. And he knew . . . he would never hear her say his name again._

The memory came to a standstill at this point. There was no way he could think about it further right now. Besides, he didn't care so why think about it?

He pulled his hands from his pockets to breath into them, staring up at the stars. The area here wasn't cold, but at night it could be. It was very different from the place that he had grown up in. That was why he loved it.

The memory gradually faded from his mind and switched to another. Without his permission, a new memory began to rise.

The first time he met her.

He had been young. Well younger. Every excuse there was he used to leave the house. At the time, his excuse had been that he was going to go see a coordinator battle with some friends. When he got out he wondered what he should actually do. With no reason not to, he decided that he really would go see the coordinator battle. He fished up almost all of the money he had earned from random yard work and went to watch. . . . He loved it.

It was refined. Elegant in a way that regular pokemon battles were not. And yet the skill that it took to pull it off looked difficult enough to be worth the effort. He was especially drawn to some of the grass pokemon.

Afterwords, he watched the trainers with their pokemon. Checking on the ones that were injured and giving words of praise before calling them back, or carrying them instead. Most weren't injured very much, it wasn't as brutal as a pokemon battle. He was instantly enthralled.

There was a woman that drew him in the most. He wasn't drawn by her beauty, though she certainly possessed more than enough of it, he was drawn by her talent. By the grace and control she held at the same time. Solidad.

It was a few weeks later that he was able to meet her in person for the first time. He wasn't sociable. It wasn't that he was shy, he just didn't know what to say. What was interesting, and what did he ever hold in common with other people? But the instant he saw her, he ran to meet her and didn't stop to consider what to say until he had reached her. Bad move.

She was standing in front of an amusement park, she wasn't going in but she was watching as she passed by. He hadn't planned on attending either. It made him wonder what had placed them both in the place most unlikely to meet. His eyes widened and he ran to her. He froze when he reached her, mouth agape. He wanted to be like her so much, he wanted to meet her. But what should he say? He wasn't going to be an obsessed fanboy.

At the time, he considered it a miracle that she even noticed him. But she knew a fan when she saw one. Regardless of the quite different aura he held so strongly. Kindly, as was her nature, she lowered herself to his level, bending only slightly. "What's your name?"

He didn't say anything for a moment, then realized what he must look like and answered, "Drew," but stopped there. He didn't know what else to say.

She stood back up. "Well, it's nice to meet you Drew. My name's Solidad." She stuck out her hand and smiled. "But I'm guessing you already knew that."

He nodded and took her outstretched hand, holding off a jump when their hands touched. "It's nice to meet you too." His voice was barely over a whisper but steady as he tried to look her in the eye. She was what he thought she'd be and he had enough experience to know that people rarely were.

She pulled her hand away. People usually asked for autographs, but he hadn't said much of anything. "Would you like anything?"

He blinked and then stiffened.. "Oh . . . no."

She had trouble hearing him, but it wasn't that hard to pick out. Still, she got the feeling that he didn't want to return to wherever she had come from. She took a quick scan around them. "Would you like to get something to eat? If you have any questions I could answer them for you. My treat."

Drew glanced at the shops as well before he nodded and followed her to the shop.

When they reached the shop, Solidad ordered for both of them. She asked him random questions and he replied with timid and quiet answers. He pulled up his sleeves as little as possible so he could keep them clean while he ate, but Solidad could still see that there were bruises up his arms.

Something in the him managed to pull out the maternal side of Solidad. After that, they began to meet up more often, mostly through invitations of Solidad's. Gradually Drew warmed up to her and she began to see the real him that he had never really known himself. He'd been acting, been afraid and careful for far too long. It was some time after they really came to know each other that Solidad came up with an idea. He had made tremendous progress. So much had changed with him. But there was still something missing. She noticed his side glances at groups of friends and the barely concealed longing glances at pokemon and their trainers. He was finally almost old enough to coordinate for himself. It would heal him, she was sure of it. But in order to do that, he was going to need a few things. He would need money for sure, he would need at a starting pokemon. . . . he would need an adult that would allow him to do it. It would be worth it. Having this would give him confidence, real confidence and not the front he used as a shield. It would free him.

And so her plan was set.

On their next meeting Solidad handed him a small pokemon. The decision hadn't been all that difficult, all things considered. She had thought carefully about it, but she only needed to watch him to see what he was drawn to.

As Drew stared at her blankly she realized what a big step this was. She urged him to take it and he did, carefully schooling his features, controlling his shaking. Did she realize that this was the first gift that anyone (outside of his mother) had ever given him? Did she know what she was giving him? Was it really for him? He looked at her again to make sure, studying her expression as quickly as he could before pressing the button on the ball. Standing in front of him almost instantly was a young rose pokemon.

Drew couldn't stop his lips from separating, couldn't stop the small exhale of breath. He looked back at Solidad with barely disguised scrutiny.

Solidad nodded to Roselia, and the pokemon jumped into Drew's arms with an exclamation of its own name. Drew stumbled, keeping his arms at his sides. His expression was filled with shock, surprise, and a tinge of fear. As if he was afraid that it was all just a wonderful dream or that there was some trick behind her actions.

Carefully he reached his hands up and held the pokemon at arms length. She was beautiful and well groomed, the smile covering the pokemon's face told him that she had been well cared for, perhaps by Solidad herself. She was, without a doubt, the best gift he could ever receive.

Solidad cleared her throat with a expectant though teasing smile, and Drew turned to her again. He looked at her only a moment more before a smile slowly spread across his face.

He didn't say anything. Solidad knew that emotion was hard for him to deal with, showing it was even more difficult and there was no doubt to why. But she could tell that he was thankful and she knew that he would take care of Roselia like no one else would. His carefully held back smile was enough to tell her that he was bursting with happiness.

She looked forward to the day she would be able to watch him progress through his goals, and out of the life he had been forced to live with till now.

Drew pulled out of his musings and put his hands in pockets heading back up to the hotel. He had a coordinator battle the next day.

Now it was different.

**A/N**  
><strong>After this chapter the story jumps strait into the plot. . . . I didn't have a lot of patience at thirteen. I'm not even sure why my prologue was all about Drew when the story isn't. Not to mention how AU it is. "Isn't Drew rich? Isn't he overconfident?" I tried to make that work with this. (His first money was pushed onto him albeit reluctantly by Solidad, he then got famous, grew in confidence, and starting making money himself. Might be OC. But I don't think so, I think it would make sense with his character actually. He's a lot more complicated than people ever put into writing. I mean, he cried when he lost his first contest, does that sound like the Drew we know? But hey, who's complaining? I can already hear all the girls sigh. *Poor Drew!* *He's so misunderstood!" :P<strong>

**Sorry if I got any pokemon terms wrong or misspelled or whatever. Please take two seconds to review. Tell me if you liked or hated it. Thanks!**


	2. Confusion

**A/N**

**Sorry about the three chapter upload alerts you may have recieved. :P I had a little mishap with this chapter. Sorry!**

**Alrighty, first of all, the only things I remember about Harley were that he had purple hair, a high voice, and waved like a teenage girl. ApparentlyI knew more about him back then. Also, I forgot to mention that this story is set in a little older(:P) time period, when May was traveling with Ash. Makes sense, since I wrote it years ago right? Next chapter it'll get into the plot much more deeply. **

**Anywho, let me know what you think! Please, please review! And thank you if you're just reading.**

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><p>It was warm, almost too warm. The sun shown down all over the little green that May was practicing in. It was a small area surrounded by trees that blocked her from prying eyes, but was still large enough to practice in. She breathed in the clear air, happy with their progress and released Skitty, just as the pokemon landed on its feet and she opened her mouth to call out directions-<p>

"May!"

May repressed a shudder. She knew who the high pitched voice belonged to before she saw who was speaking. Sighing she lowered her pokeball and turned as Harley reached her. In passing thought she wondered how he had found her, but dismissed the thought as he reached her. Her pokemon stopped and stared, wondering what to do in the middle of their practice. "Hi Harley," she grimaced a little, but forced a strained smile.

There had been a couple times when she had greeted him with full smiles. It was only recently that the smiles had faded a bit. She was beginning to understand that something was . . . not quite right in his interactions with her. She still didn't know if he was _bad_, per say, but with the realization she began to feel awkward. Why did he always hang around her? What did he want?

Then he was there in front of her. He glanced at the pokemon, she nearly missed the slight twitch on the happy expression, then he was turned to her again. "Drew asked me to grab you." She blinked. _Drew_ asked? Then his expression went slightly contemplative, a little sympathetic. "He's looking for you. Seems . . . rather upset?"

She bit her lip. She'd been tricked too many times and this was definitely fishy, but what if Drew really was upset? What if he really did want to see her?

"Here, I'll show you where he is!" and he grabbed her by the hand ignoring the surprised, 'wait, Harley-.' She managed to pull her hand from his and then with a sigh, finally gave in. "Alright fine, but when we get there, you _leave_." She surprised herself with the forcefulness.

"Deal." She blinked at the change in tone, but didn't have time to question it as he grabbed her hand once more, this time holding on tight as he dragged her from the park.

"Wait, I have to return my pokemon!"

"No time." Harley answered, not slowing his brisk walk in the slightest and not even looking in her direction.

May gave him a confused glance, then looked over her shoulder at her pokemon. "Hey guys, I'll be back soon, ok? Just wait there!" Then they were out of the green and onto a normal street, and she then turned her attention back to the situation at hand. "Where's Drew?"

"Don't worry! We'll see him soon!" Harley replied happily.

May was beginning to feel uncomfortable, like this was wrong. "Um . . . Harley. Where are we going?"

"I've already told you! We're going to see Drew!" Harley replied in a slightly giddy voice.

"Well, where is he?"

"How should I know May?"

Time seemed to slow for her just a little bit. The cobblestones of the small town beneath her feet were just a bit more defined and the shops they were now passing began to fade. "What? But . . . you said . . ."

"I said that I would take you to find him. I didn't say I knew where he was."

"Well then how do you know that we'll see him? Are you looking for him then?"

"No."

May's head began to hurt and suddenly she was panicking. This was wrong. So very wrong. "Harley, I've changed my mind. Drew's a big boy, he can take care of himself."

Harley's smile was still there, but it had changed. It was different in a way that she couldn't put into words but that only made the panic increase. "Can you?"

"Wha?"

"Can _you_ take care of yourself?"

May gulped as she realized that, without her pokemon, she was virtually defenseless. The shops were long in the distance now. They were out of the coordinator area, passing houses that only decreased in beauty as they got farther away. The panic now gave way to chilling fear as she began to pull at Harley's grip on her only to find it much too strong.

They suddenly turned behind a larger building into a thin alleyway with a dead end. The building was old and broken down. Harley stopped and with the hand that didn't have May's wrist, Harley released Cacturn. Then, in a small flick that showed May just what strength he was hiding, he threw her out in front of him towards the end of the alley.

May gasped, stopping herself from tripping and hitting the wall and turned carefully back to look at Harley. He was glaring. Open disdain for her that she had never known he possessed. He turned to Cacturn and smiled. "Keep her there."

May flinched, terrified now beyond belief. "Harley?" she whispered.

Harley turned from her without a word, staring at the open end of the alley way as if waiting for something. Not a word spoken. The sun was beginning to set. May could see the orange lighting filtering in, but it wouldn't be very long before the building blocked it completely.

"Harley, what do you want?" May whispered shakily.

Harley rolled his eyes. "You'll find out."

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><p><strong>AN **

**Alrighty, I know it's a very short chapter. They'll get longer after this. I actually set each chapter to be about this long but I'll put some together, unless some reviewers want short chapters instead for some reason. /:|**

**So I misspelled "panicking," but apparently its better spelled as "pancaking." :P That was the only spelling my spell-check gave. Luckily it wasn't that hard to figure it out.**

**Thank you for reading! Please review! :) I know you're reading. XP**


	3. Missing

'Near building 1238'

Drew stared, then flipped the note.

Nothing. Just, 'Near building 1238.' He frowned. Who would break into his room to leave this on his table? It bothered him a little and he decided to ask the hotel about it. He hadn't left it there so someone else must have been in his room, right?

Shaking himself, he set the note back down on the table and left the room, pausing once to look over his shoulder. The room was beautiful and occasionally he did find himself staring in wonder of the comparison to his younger years. But with that thought would come others. Things that he didn't want to think about, and he would squash the thoughts. This time he did it by shutting the door behind him, changing his thought process and making sure this time that the door was definitely locked. It was. If someone got back into his room again there would be a problem.

"Harley." Drew growled under his breath as he exited the hotel. The man was standing some distance off, patiently staring into the distance. Then he turned and, seeing Drew, straitened and started towards him. Drew bit back the urge to either ignore him or run like his life depended on it (he had no idea how close he was). He backed up as Harley reached him, simply because he was a little too close and his hand had twitched for a moment, as if holding back movement. "What do you want?" The question didn't hold any attitude, it was simply said strait out, no emotion.

The already fake smile immediately turned to a look of fake depression. Drew held onto the little control he had around Harley and just barely stopped himself from raising an eyebrow or sneering. He was so hurt.

Yeah right.

"Well, I just wanted to apologize! I know that you can never forgive me, but could we just try to be friends for the sake of this contest?"

This time Drew did raise an eyebrow slightly, unable to catch the natural response. What was he getting at? Drew knew when a person was being fake. Implied, but not real, kindness was something that he had picked up on as a smile child. He couldn't stand it. Fake kindness meant that a person wanted something. That was the only reason to humiliate yourself enough to be nice when you didn't really feel it. "What's in it for you?"

"A friend of course!" he answered a little too quickly. "And a contest where you're beaten fair."

That was actually . . . a pretty plausible reason. Well played and presented anyway. "I agree May and I deserve fair contests, but I don't need a friend." He started to walk past Harley, there was nothing more to be said, when Harley stopped him with less acting skills than before. He was desperate, just a little.

"About May-"

Drew stopped dead, his teeth locking. "What about her?"

"She was training a little while ago, I stopped to talk to her as well. I'll admit apologies are in order."

Drew stopped the, "And?" from slipping out just barely.

"And well . . . she seemed a little compromised?"

Drew blinked, took a moment to absorb the words, and looked over his shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, I'm not completely sure. Sounded like she was in trouble."

Now Drew turned fully without realizing it, suspicion in his features. "What kind of -"

"Oh look at the time! Gotta train! See you later Drew!"

And then he was gone, and Drew was left staring at his retreating back in confusion. He was hesitant to do anything. He didn't want to play into whatever Harley seemed to be up to this time. But if he didn't . . . what if May was in trouble? She most certainly wasn't. But could it really be bad to just check up on her? He paused to consider, and finally pulled a rose from seemingly nowhere. He could check on her. He had an excuse, and there was no way that he would play into Harley's trap.

Right?

[THIS IS WHERE THE CHAPTER ENDED . . . BUT I'LL ADD A LITTLE MORE]

Drew found May's companion sitting alone at a food court. The town was covered in little shops with interesting meals. It was cute, quaint. Drew found that he surprisingly liked it quite a bit. But he did miss the bustle of a city. Somewhere in the middle would be nice, he supposed. As of now, he wasn't really sure where would feel like home, or when he would find it. . . . Hopefully soon.

He realized with a little annoyance that he had forgotten her friend's name, and decided to just play like it was and not mention it. "Hey," he called as he neared.

The teen jumped and looked over his shoulder. "Oh! Hey, Drew. . . ." He felt a little bit of surprise that Ash remember his, then realized he shouldn't really. His attention was brought past Ash for a moment to the Pikachu laying on the table in front of him. It looked . . . dead. But of course it wasn't. A ketchup bottle lied on its side beside him, and the Pikachu just lied there baking in the sun. He wasn't sure what he thought about that, but knew immediately that he and Ash were very different people.

He took his attention off of the Pikachu and brought his gaze back to Ash with some difficulty. "Would you happen to know where May is?"

He almost missed the curiosity in Ash's gaze. "Could I ask why?"

"I just wanted to check up on her. Since she's obviously not with you and I heard Harley's back to playing games." He shrugged slightly.

He just stared for a moment.

"What?"

"Since when did you become her body guard?"

He blinked and felt a little bit of heat rise to his face. "I never said- It's just that . . . Harley came to my hotel. He was . . . shifty. I know he usually goes after her. It would be wrong of me to not warn her."

"Hmm." He seemed to consider this. Then paused, looking over Drew's back. He strained to see around him and prompted Drew to look too. They both looked in surprise to see May's Skitty, bouncing around the edge of the green in sight. Ash's brow furrowed. "Well I was just with her, so I'm sure she's still alright. But uh," he motioned to Skitty and the wall of trees. "She's over there in the green, training."

Drew had a nagging feeling. It wasn't normal and he didn't like it, but he knew it wouldn't go away until he had checked on her. "Thanks." As he turned to go, he finally decided to ask, "What was your name, again?"

"Ash!" he called back as Drew continued walking.

'Weird name,' Drew thought.

When he reached the green he of course expected to see May training with her pokemon. Instead he was greeted with a handful of confused pokemon, all wandering the green doing there own things. A couple of them turned to him. Skitty in particular as it bounced around his feet. He looked around the trees, just checking for sure. May wouldn't leave her pokemon, would she? Without looking at Skitty again he pulled back out of the green and reached Ash again.

"She's not there."

Ash look surprised. "But I was just . . ." He didn't finish, instead he stood and woke up Pikachu quickly with a short apology. The pokemon climbed onto his shoulder lazily and layed there. Then he started to the green, Drew following, and froze. "May wouldn't leave her - May!" He cupped his hands. He walked farther than Drew had, making sure. On the way back he stopped and looked at her pokemon as if they could tell him what had happened. Pikachu was waking up now and looking around in confusion as well, mirroring his trainers actions

When he reached Drew again he was wearing a puzzled expression and had his hand behind his neck. "I guess she could have gone to the bathroom. But I still find it hard to believe that she would leave her pokemon. It's not like her."

"Well, lets look for her." Drew expected resistance. A suggestion to wait a while, but when met with none they both left the green to find her. "Is it okay to leave her pokemon back there?"

"Yeah, it'll be fine. We don't have her pokeballs anyway. They'll stay there till we find May." Drew could tell he was a little anxious.

"Where should we start?" he felt it prudent to ask Ash, since he was the one that would know the most.

"Um," He shook his head. "I don't know where she would go that she wouldn't take her pokemon. I would say a noodle shop but she wouldn't leave them for a meal." There was Ash's fear, Drew guessed. The reason that he hadn't wanted to wait. "We should come back here every so often though. If she comes back and we miss her . . . We should just check back. But there's only two of us so-"

What about his other friends? And then it occurred to him. "Where's May's brother and that other guy?"

"Oh, Brock and Max?"

Drew nodded.

"Max left a couple of months ago to start his own journey. Brock went to some breeder center for a couple of weeks. He's going to catch up with us after he's through."

Again Drew nodded, but this time he had an uncomfortable feeling in his gut. That left Ash and May traveling alone . . . . And why exactly should that bother him so? Suddenly staying with him didn't feel like the best idea. "We should split up, it'll be easier to find her." Drew pointed out.

Ash nodded. "You're probably right. I'll go this way." He didn't wait before he split in the other direction.

Drew sighed and took the right. Where would a girl like May be? He decided to start with the obvious. Noodle cafe's, dessert shops, and bathrooms (just by passing). Some time later he still hadn't found her. He stopped at the green again. The sun was starting to go down, amazingly enough. He had lost track of time. The pokemon were still alone, though now they looked as ancy as he felt (with the exception of Skitty). He wondered if Ash had found her, but something told him he hadn't. Her pokemon were still there after all.

Alright, he paused. He had checked everything obvious he could think of (as well as some less obvious places). So what did that leave? What were other possibilities? Why would May abandon her pokemon? That was easy, she wouldn't. So that meant that she had left without much of any other option. Short of somebody dragging her off, the only other reason would be and immediate bathroom break, and that was out of the question. So that left the only option, someone else was involved. It sounded crazy but they were out of options. So who would drag her off? His eyes snapped open, jolting him out of his thoughts. It was so ridiculously obvious that he had to wonder why he hadn't tried it first. With a grimace he realized that usually people don't really want to believe in the worst case scenario. But with all of the facts in front of him he had still taken that long to figure it out. And he of all people should be the first to realize it was possible.

"Idiot." he muttered, he started to leave but stopped. Where would he take her? Briefly the note from that morning fluttered into his mind. 'Near 1238' Would Harley break into his room to leave that? Was it safe to play into the note?

He was moving before the thought was finished. It didn't matter if it were safe or not. It didn't matter if he was playing into some sick game. If May was there, he was going to get her. What other options were there?

He stopped and looked at the numbers. It was getting dark, harder to read, but still '1143' reflected in the evening light above a shop window. He followed the numbers as they grew. By the time he had reached the right building he was breathing harder than he should have for a distance that short.

The buildings here were old and broken down. The house he now stood in front of resembled an old TV apartment. Rounded doorframe and painted shutters. Walls behind each of the houses nearly connected them. It seemed out of place in the small city. He glanced on both sides of the building and found nothing. It looked empty and he took a deep breath before scaling the stairs and laying his hand on the door knob. It seemed cruel almost. This was so like his childhood neighborhood. And so out of place in this area that he almost felt it was set up. Then he rolled his eyes at himself and pushed the thoughts aside. It was just a house.

Pushing open the front door he raised his arm to block his face and looked around. It was dusty, but also empty. He scaled the house quickly and felt disappointment and confusion when he found nothing. He left the house quickly, not looking back and considered the note again. 'Near 1238' _Near_. He nodded. It was still possible. He calmed himself internally before turning and nearing the right side of the house again. He eyed the wall, placing his hand on it without thinking. There was probably an alley behind it. His eyes widened.

Without another thought Drew ran out from between the houses and around the backside, only to nearly fall over as he took a quick step back.

Someone was already blocking the alley.

**A/N**  
><strong>I'll admit to rewriting this one. I'm kind sad that I did, but it wouldn't of made much sense if I hadn't. There are some things that I will be fixing in this story just so that the grammar and such isn't unbearable. Anywho, I know it's a little drug out, but I promise that the next chapter will have a little more action. Thank you to everyone so far for reviewing. For some reason, wasn't letting me reply to the last couple reviews, so I'll just tell you here. I appreciate all of your reviews so much. There have only been four, but you guys have all given me the boost that I need to continue to post this story. It's hard to upload old work, so thank you really, so much! I really appreciate it! Keep it coming! I'm going to need all the support I can get!<strong>

**Also, I'm sorry that it took me so long to update. There may be some grammar mess-ups in this chapter. I tried to look over it all but I don't have a lot of time, so hopefully it's alright. Please, let me know what you think. Hope it was enjoyed!**

**Thanks!**  
><strong>PG17<strong>


	4. Hope

**A/N Alright! Sorry for the long wait, here's the next chapter of my story. More of a buildup chapter, and very short so I will update as soon as possible. Some of the chapters I will just leave the length I originally wrote them as, like this chapter is. If I don't think it's enough I'll add more. Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy it. Please review!**

**PG17**

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><p>Hope isn't knowledge. Therefore, you can hope for something and still be surprised when it happens. This is especially true when someone you love is involved. When you want more than anything for that person to be alright, but at the same time have fear of it not happening. This is why Drew had to take a moment to get into the right head space, to really focus on what was right in front of him. As much as he had hoped for it, it had seemed a pretty slim chance.<p>

Now here he was, his way being blocked by a very real person. And the man in front of him was no other than Harley.

Of course it was Harley. That thought had crossed his mind hadn't it? So why was he surprised? Why did this feel . . . wrong?

"Drew?"

Drew finally allowed himself to believe what was in front of him and looked around Harley to see May at the end of the short alley, Cacturn off to the side.

"May." The word was more relief than anything, despite what was happening around him. It _was_ just Harley. Without another thought Drew started to run around Harley only to have his wrist grabbed and be pulled back with a rather aggravating, "Ah, ah, ah," as if Harley was scolding a small child.

Drew shivered and pulled his arm away in disgust. He ignored Harley once again in favor of reaching May. This time Harley didn't try to stop him. He watched Drew get a few more feet before stating calmly, "Cacturn, solar beam on May."

Drew's feet stopped before his mind caught up to why. He hadn't even reached Cacturn, but now he was between it and Harley. Cacturn didn't stop with Drew. He turned to May gathering the rising sun in its hands. For a moment, Drew couldn't move. He was quickly snapped from it when May gasped and crouched, covering her head. Obviously afraid.

"W-Wait! Stop."

Cacturn looked over at Harley who nodded, and the solar beam in Cacturn's hands disappeared.

Drew turned back to Harley, still keeping May in his sight, and looked at the man that was quickly becoming more insane than he had ever shown. "What do you want?"

Harley smiled and neared them while May took her hands from her head. She was breathing hard, eyes wide, and didn't rise from her crouch. Drew looked away from her and back to Harley and his slightly creepy smile.

"I need something from you, Drew . . . and my revenge isn't too far."

May saw Drew stiffen. He didn't want to give anything to Harley, didn't want anything to do with him. But if he didn't at least play along, what would happen to May? May was going to say something, worry over-clouding her judgment, but Drew answered for her. "Specifically?" Harley smiled a more self-satisfied expression and Drew resisted a sneer.

Harley pulled a pokeball from his belt and threw it. "Perhaps, this will explain it."

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><p><strong>AN Whatever will happen to May and Drew? Read the next chapter to find out! (Which will likely be update tomorrow or the next day.) I'm sorry it's so short, but I think it takes from the story when put chapters together. For the most part it will be like this, just updated really frequently. This story was written this way, so I'm going to stick with it.**

**Thanks so much! Review! The more one reviews, the faster the updates! (I'll update either way. No pressure.)**

**PG17**


	5. This Next

**A/N Alright, I know that I took a long time to update, and this chapter doesn't have much in the way of getting down to the plot. So I've decided to upload chapters daily, or every other day (if something comes up), as a sort of apology. I hope you all enjoy this story and continue to read. This story has a really cool ending (to me), so I hope that you will all stick with it. I will do the best that I can to keep updating.**

**Oh, and if you like it, will you please review for me? Tell me what you like? It'd be much appreciated. Thanks!**

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><p>The sun was finally rising and with it, Ash's hopes fell. It had been all night. He had gone back to the hotel to see if she had gone back. Twice. She wasn't there. One night wasn't that much reason to worry. Except it was May, and she didn't just dissappear. If she was missing and had left her pokemon behind, there was was a reason.<p>

Ash stopped and put his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. He was exhausted. He had finally stopped to get the help of officer Jenny, who had taken a missing person's report but let him know that since May had only been missing a few hours that there wasn't much they could do. She had however agreed to help search for May after he had explained the situation, seeming as concerned as he felt over the abandonment of her pokemon. She questioned people, searched for May herself (at a much more leisurely pace, unfortunately), but had nothing to go on. At about midnight, she let Ash know that she had other matters that needed her attention and would deliver the missing person's report first thing in the morning.

Not much help at all actually.

Now the sun was up. May had been missing all night. Almost a whole day. Where had she been all night? He wondered, hoped beyond hope, that Drew had somehow found her. While he started running again to find Drew at least, his mind started morbidly running through terrible things without his consent: May hurt somewhere. May dead. Her parents asking him what had happened to her, asking him where he had been when she had gone missing.

Finally he saw Drew. It was enough to drive the thoughts from his mind, to help him to hope for the impossible.

Drew wasn't facing him, and didn't look eager to do anything anytime soon. He stood still, and stared off into the distance. Ash wondered if he had expected to meet Ash there or if he had simply given up. His hands tightened in their fists without him realizing it as he finally came to a stop.

"Drew!" Drew jolted, still staring at the sky, then slowly turned to look at Ash. "Did you find her?"

Drew took a few seconds to just stare at him. Just as Ash was about to yell at him to hurry up, exhaustion and worry getting the better of him, Drew shook his head, 'no.'

Ash felt fear grip him tighter than anything else had thus far. Something was yelling at him, screaming at him, that something was wrong. Drew still hadn't spoken. He was so aloof. But then again, it was the emotionless stuck-up Drew, and Ash wrote off the fear to his concern for May's safety.

"Are you sure?"

This time he nodded just as slowly.

Ash perked. Maybe something was wrong. Drew was always quiet, but not this quiet. Walls and emotions forgotten, Ash gripped Drew's shoulder and asked, "Drew, are you alright?"

Drew didn't acknowledge the hand on his shoulder. He stared at him for a moment. Ash thought he saw a crease in his brow for one moment, a flash of some emotion. But then he nodded again and turned to leave, not even shaking Ash's hand off as he let go.

Ash stood there perplexed. He felt near frozen from fear. There was too much going on. There was just so much wrong with what had just taken place. At the same time the fear he felt or May overpowered all else. He couldn't do anything about the conversation, not now. But it would be in the back of his mind, bothering him and adding to the chaos in his head.

Without another thought, he took off. He couldn't worry about that at a time like this. If Drew wasn't going to look, fine. He couldn't make him. . . . He had to find May.

A couple of hours later Ash was still at a loss. There was nowhere left to look. Nothing left to go on. For all he knew, May could be in the next city by then, picked off the street by some phsycotic stalker. That possibility was starting to look more and more real as time went on. He was panicking. Overwhelmed. There was nothing the law could do. There was nothing he could do.

Once again he sought out Drew. He didn't know why. He only knew that he now had no leads. Drew was the last inkling of hope.

He once again found Drew alone, staring off into space silently. He was too scared to be angry.

"Drew!"

Drew turned to look at him and for a moment his eyes widened. Ash was a mess. His hair even messier than usual and his eyes forming dark circles more from worry than from lack of sleep.

He was breathing heavily when he talked again, supposedly from all of the running, but Drew suspected that it may be from something else as well. "Drew, I, I still haven't found May. Do you - Do you have any idea where she is?"

Drew's eyes widened but he shook his head 'no' again. Ash felt tears rising that he pushed down. He hadn't cried in a while, he didn't much at all, and it wouldn't do to break down in front of Drew.

Drew began to walk away but Ash followed, numbly, not knowing why. Drew didn't object. As they got closer, Ash realized that they were entering a hotel, which must of been where Drew was staying. Ash followed Drew all the way to his room before he realized how ridiculous he was being and turned to leave.

He stopped in surprise and stared down at his hand as he felt Drew grab it. His grip was tight, then lax, then tight again. He looked up at Drew only to find him shaking, wincing as he did so. When he let go and entered his room, Ash felt compelled to follow again, to understand what had just happened.

Drew grabbed a small card off of his desk and held it out, expression emotionless but still wincing. Ash just stared and when he didn't move Drew's face finally became pained and shoved the note into Ash's chest. Gingerly Ash grabbed the note from Drew's shaking hands.

Drew backed up, breathing out audibly, then guarded his expression once more and left the room swiftly.

Ash watched him leave then stared at the note in his hands. Ash's brow furrowed as he tried to comprehend the meaning of the card. 'Near building 1238' He took one last glance after Drew, then shook his head, stuffed the note in his pocket, and left the room as well.

What was the point of this? What had just happened? For some reason, he felt rejuvenated. He was still exhausted and scared. But the small moment had given him a little reprieve from his fear. He was ready to search again. He had to find May!

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><p><strong>Like I said, filler. :P But I'm going to update constantly to make it up to all of you, so check for updates if you want to read. Please review! Pretty please! Yes, I'm begging. Some people may think it annoying but I'm a little desperate. On a side note, I hope everyone enjoys regardless of if they review.<strong>

**If you do, I'll give you a prize. Hmm, lets see. Maybe I'll start throwing random prizes out to reviewers every few chapters. By prizes I mean: a chapter or story dedicated to you or maybe a I'll add a chapter made to your specifications, or maybe I'll just take a request and write you a oneshot based on whatever you want. This will be random. But I'm going to do it, so if you want a prize, let me know that you'll be reviewing and ask me for one. I may not hand things out immediately. I will probably offer the prizes to the best reviews or most constant reviewers.**

**Ha! How's that! Review and see what you get!**


	6. Found

**Alrighty people! I said that I would update soon! Didn't I? SCORE! Lol. K. Joking. On a side note, I got a few really nice review in the last chapter and I just want to thank you all for those. :D Really makes me happy.**

**Thank you to:**  
><strong>Evan AAML<strong>  
><strong>FollowingTheWind (great name by the way)<strong>  
><strong>Jane Hawthorn<strong>  
><strong>timprime1<strong>

**You guys rock! You know what, I'm just going to throw it out there. If any of you want a prize just say so.**

**1) A chapter dedicated to you (because we know you want that so much ;D)**  
><strong>2) A chapter with your ideas in it (This will have to be a filler of some kind. I can't change the plot since the story has already been written, and I don't want to. But if there's some kind of moment you want to see for a couple or something let me know! I'll try to work it into the story. It may take a couple chapters, but I'll do it. :D Within reason of course. I'll tell you if I can't and ask for a different idea.)<strong>  
><strong>3) And a request for a one-shot! Give me a plot, a couple or a character and a day or two. I will write a one-shot story written especially for you! :D Only things off limits are sex and booze. :P Well . . . maybe not booze. That can be fun to read.<strong>

**So if you want a prize say so, and if you want me to shut up and stop talking about my lame prizes . . . too bad, I'm keeping 'em. *Nods* (Not meant offensively at all. :D)**

**I really should have gone over this better, but would you guys rather me take another two days to edit this thing or just post it as it is? :) I did go over it as best I could. I apologize for my sucky grammar (which I usually misspell ironically [funny note: I misspelled 'misspell' and 'ironically', my spell check got it. It's not on purpose! I want to be better!]). I hope you enjoy it anyways. Let me know if I missed something and I'll try to fix it. :D**

**So, I hope you all like the chapter. It's a bit slow, and there's still quite a bit of mystery, but it's leading up to something great.**

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><p>Ash was ready to give up. He stopped. Really stopped for the first time in hours, and dropped into the nearest bench. They lined the shopping streets, making everything look homey and inviting. By the look of the town a visitor would never expect that anything bad ever happened there.<p>

They would be wrong.

Ash had gone back to officer Jenny, who had sadly informed him that there was nothing she could do. The missing person's report was being run, but she did have other matters to attend to. Ash has left without replying, angry despite himself. There was no way that he could explain to her that this _was not normal_. There was no way that she could possibly understand what he did about May. She said that they encountered situations similar to this all the time and that it was often the people closest to the 'victim' that had no idea that they were actually involved with somebody already. That running away was normal with somebody who, 'would never do that,' according to friends or family. It just made him angry. She wasn't running away from home. There was nothing to run from and no one to run to. She hadn't run away. He was sure of that.

He stuck his hands in his pockets, stressed. If only he had a lead. . . . His eyes widened when he felt the paper and he pulled it out quickly. For some time he stared at the paper, hardly daring to hope. Then he looked at the building beside him. '786' shown on the small shop window. Ash kept the paper out when he started running again making sure that he was heading towards the right building. It took a while. Driving would have been no problem, but it was quite a stretch on foot.

When he entered the neighborhood that the house resided in he paled. It was old, broken down. There couldn't be many people actually living in these houses. He thought of his mother and the house that he had been raised in, without a father but with much more than a child raised in a place like this. He panicked again when he realized no one was in this area. No one that would care. He thought for a moment that maybe he should have told officer Jenny before running off. Should have brought her along, if only to have a law enforcer there in case of any issues. But the thought of being so close to May, being so close to her and leaving her, blew that notion out of the window. Who knew what was happening to her. What if he left and something . . . happened while he was gone? Was anything worth that risk? If he was really honest with himself he would have said that he was desperate. May was here. She had to be. She had to be.

He reached the house. Finally. The '3' was crooked, almost sideways. But it was still recognizable. He immediately thought of a children's horror story when he saw the house. It was built just like a spooky haunted house in a picture book. Two levels, shutters on either side of the top windows, a porch with a small fence like structure around it. Ash gulped without realizing it. Ghosts. He held back a shiver. He hated ghosts.

Ash put the note in his pocket and entered the house without any more preamble. It was dusty but still held most of the furniture, at least some of it. It looked as though the owners had been in a rush when they left it and that it had been some years ago. After that it must have remained vacant. Nobody had even bothered to clean it up and try to sell it. It would have been pretty, had it been clean.

Ash went up the stairs quietly. He felt Pikachu grab tighter to his shoulder, small sparks starting occasionally in his cheeks. He felt a brief moment of guilt. He hadn't said much to Pikachu within the last day. Pikachu must have been as tired as he was. But he sensed that he understood, that he was probably just as worried for May as Ash was.

Back to the present, Ash was feeling as spooked as Pikachu seemed to be. For a moment he stopped, still in the hall, and looked down to see a mirror on the floor, a hairline crack on its face. His face stared back at him, Pikachu glaring at it on his shoulder. Sparks coming faster now. Ash winced away from the electricity but kept staring at the mirror. Without knowing exactly why, Ash started to reach for it.

Pikachu began to growl in his own way, and when Ash got too close let too much electricity go by mistake, accompanied by a worried exclamation.

Ash jumped with the jolt and stared at the mirror stupidly while Pikachu tried to get his attention. Ash glanced above the wall to where the mirror had been pinned. A clear square of missing dust showed where the mirror had once been hanging, which brought up the question: Who else had been in this house to make it fall?

Finally he noticed Pikachu, who was worriedly saying it's own name, but a version for Ash's. He was getting louder and he wondered how he hadn't noticed it yet and how nobody else had if there was someone there. He quickly placed his hand on Pikachu's head, scratching there while reassuring. "I'm fine. Sorry."

Pikachu nodded, rubbing into the touch and Ash smiled. No one could understand the connection he had with Pikachu. They understood each other well. He was almost like a human in that way. Ash felt that he could talk to him about anything and that somehow, it would be worth the time.

Ash looked back at the mirror. Pikachu began to growl, and Ash decided that it was best not to mess with it again. He continued throughout the house, checking every room thourally (there were many), but coming up with nothing.

When he left the house it was with relief, but tinged in disappointment. He hadn't found May.

He pulled out the paper again, just to be sure, and compared the number with the one on the house. In his stressed state of mind he ended up comparing the '3' on the building with the one on the card. It was crooked. Could it be wrong somehow? He shook himself. This was getting dangerous. He was not in the state of mind he should be. Taking a deep breath, he stilled himself and paused, thinking. She wasn't in the house. Was there another building with that number? Wouldn't it have said 'house' and not 'building' on the card if this was right. He opened his eyes again, once more staring at the old, vacant building. He kept thinking that he should leave, look somewhere else. But this was his only lead, and he had never felt this close. Like he could feel her. It felt wrong to leave.

'Near building 1238'

Suddenly it clicked. His eyes widened. Lost for breath he looked back up at the house. Not 'in', 'near'. Why had it taken so long for him to consider that? What was wrong with him? Was he that stressed?

With no more thought, Ash nearly dove towards the side of the house, rustling the thorny bushes lining the porch. Searching everything. "M-May," he started, and then it escalated, and he was calling her name with no regard to who might hear as he searched. Desperate but somehow sure. There wasn't much to search around the house, but he searched it twice. Just to be sure. He knew she was there. She had to be.

Finally ceasing in his yelling, Ash stepped back and looked around at the other houses. 'Near.' It wasn't specific. She could be in any one of these houses. The thought made him think of someone on the upper flours of one of the houses, watching from a window, and he shivered. It was then that he saw the wall and stopped to consider what might be behind it. He felt torn leaving the house for a reason he couldn't fathom, and ran around the side, stopping at the end of the alley. It was still dark throughout. The rising sun hadn't reached this crook, stuck behind the taller houses. It looked empty.

Then Ash startled. A small sound, like an animal scurrying, reached his ears. Except it wasn't "scurrying." The noise hadn't lasted more than a moment. A jolt ran through him. Elation and hope and fear. At once he ran forward, to the end of the alley. Pikachu lept off of his shoulder and went before him and it only made him want to believe in it more, because Pikachu never did that unless he was going to another friend, and he couldn't think of any other reason than Pikachu could see or sense or smell something that he couldn't.

"Pika!"

The word was spoken with alarm from Pikachu and had just ended as Ash finally came into view. What he saw paralyzed him with fear, yet filled him with elation. So much that he stopped, unsure of what he was feeling, emotions finally over clouding his senses.

In front of him, Pikachu worriedly patted May on the head. But it wasn't the joyful scene that it should have been. May seemed to be asleep, her hands were tied behind her and a piece of duck-tape more hung than covered her mouth. It seemed that May had worked through the duck-tape, but couldn't escape the rope. That thought had him moving again.

"May!" Ash fell down beside her, hesitated only a moment when he rose his hand, and shook her lightly. "May." When she didn't budge his shaking grew more insistent. "May!" She was still.

Ash chocked on his own emotion, fearing the worst through his panic, despite the lack of wear on her body and clothes. Finally she moaned, and a choked sob escaped him that he hadn't been expecting. Her eyes opened wearily and she looked up at him and screamed.

It didn't come out well. Apparently the scream was meant to be his name, but the duck-tape was still slightly there and it came out as a wild exclamation. Ash didn't have room left in his mind to consider taking the duck tape off first, instead he pulled from the ground and hugged her, choking back the sobs of relief that were attempting to leave. He gathered himself just a moment longer and sat back, looking at her fully. Her eyes were wide, scared almost. She too looked tired, dirt covered her cheek and clothes where she had been laying on the dirty cement.

"May, how did you - " She glared at him. "Oh, sorry." More gently than his hug had been Ash reached forward and pulled off the duck tape. He winced. Her skin was red. He turned her around then and untied her hands. When he had her facing him, she stared at him only a moment. Her eyes clouded with tears and Ash had only a moments warning before she collapsed onto his shoulder, choking and sobbing.

He felt like sobbing with her. She was alive. She was alright. Awkwardly but more eager than normal, Ash put his arms around her back and cried with her, but silently and without the sobbing.

It was some minutes before either one of them moved. When they May had a bit more of her bearings, Ash pulled himself back and began speaking. "May, who did this?" he asked carefully.

She stumbled over her reply, still choking on emotion. "Ha . . . Har . . ." When she looked ready to break down again, Ash tried to fill in the blank for her.

"Harley?"

May nodded and began crying again, softly. Ash hands bawled into fists as he reached out and pulled her to him again. "Max was right. Oh, that creep." he breathed out.

May suddenly gasped around her tears, one hand going to her stomach and a grimace covering her face.

"What's wrong?"

"My-My stomach." Her vision went blurry and she felt herself falling before Ash caught her and leaned her against the wall.

May looked down at her ankle. Ash's gaze followed and he couldn't hold in the gasp. A bar protruded from the ground, bent and went back down again. A rope went through the bar, tied tightly, the other end was wrapped around May's ankle. It was definitely too tight.

"Oh g-" Ash breathed out and reached down to her foot. May didn't move, only watched him. Her skin was red around it, and almost looked to be bruising, but it was to early to tell and the lighting didn't help. "Pikachu."

Pikachu jumped to attention now that he had been recognized. He smiled painfully. "Care to help me with this?" Pikachu turned his head, confused, then looked down at the rope. Recognition dawned in his eyes and with a determined, "Pika!" he crouched and began to chew through the lines.

Ash's hands moved to May's ankle, he tried to undo the ropes there but found it useless. She had been tied so that both ends were on the bar, and the knots didn't seem like they were coming out any time soon. Regardless he tried, making no progress, and finally left it up to Pikachu after seeing the progress he had made. A few moments and one of the ropes snapped. Ash began unwinding the rope from May as Pikachu finished chewing through the second one.

Finally the rope came off. The damage was obvious. Seeing the red on her ankle made him realize something else. "May, show me your wrists."

She winced. "I-I'm fine."

Ash could see the obvious lie, and insisted sternly this time. "May, let me see your hands." She raised them just barely and Ash pulled them the rest of the way up, bringing her hands to eye level so he could see it in the dim lighting. Her wrists were shining, looking wet almost, red lines showed where the ropes had obviously been. "May, we're going to the hospital."

"But-"

"No buts!" The exclamation came out louder than intented. If Harley was crazy enough tie her so carelessly tight and leave her in an alley way for a day and a half, what else might he have done to her? "May, I want you to tell me everything that happened."

Her eyes widened and she shook her head, tears gathering.

"May, tell me!" She shook her head. "What did he do-"

"He didn't do anything!" He stopped. It was the first full sentence she had uttered. Now she hung her head, bangs covering her eyes and shook. He couldn't help thinking that this wasn't the May that he knew. She was obviously in no condition to talk. He sighed, pushing his questions aside for later and held out his hand for her. May looked up at him, blinking in confusion. He smiled, not unkindly. "C'mon, let's get going."

May only stared at his hand, then nodded and placed her hand in his as he pulled her up. Once standing she let go and began to dust herself off, holding herself like she wanted to do it all alone. While brushing the dirt off she winced as it covered her wrists. She grabbed one in pain only to gasp in pain when she put her hand on it. Finally she stopped and choked, hanging her head as though to hide the tears, and holding her hands awkwardly. Ash held back his own emotions, mostly anger at the person who had left her there, and tried to be strong for her. Tried to leave his accusing thoughts behind. "Here." He grabbed one of her hands, being careful of her wrist, and turned around, motioning for her to climb onto his back. May hesitated but he made the decision for her by grabbing her other hand too and pulling her arms over his shoulders. She sighed in relief and relaxed into him as he stood fully and began to leave the alley. Pikachu stared up awkwardly until Ash smiled. "C'mon Pikachu." Pikachu then scampered onto the shoulder that May wasn't leaning on.

As they walked Ash's thoughts turned to another person. Drew. He had some choice words for him, he just needed to decide on which ones.


	7. Wall Of Emotion

**A/N I'm sorry! I have a good reason for not updating when I promised. Reason being, my computer broke down. Yep. It's all gone. All of my writing. Everything. It sucks. It's possible for me to still get it, I guess but it's not very probable. Soooo, since I have to share a computer with my family now it's a lot harder to update. I'm still going to try and update as often as I can. _Hopefully_, every other day. I'm sorry for the slower updates. :(**

**Anywho, I hope you enjoy the next chapter. Since I'm going to have to redo it. :P Please review! Tell me what you think of it! Thank you all!**

**P.S. I hope it's alright. I'm trying to update as often as I can but right now I am not in my right mind. I'm sorry. I will do my best though. Please take it as best you can.**

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><p>The walk felt far longer than it was, and was carried out in total silence. Ash would've thought that rescuing her from some psychopath would have been met with a little more joy and relief. And it was, but it was quickly replaced with uncontrollable emotions.<p>

Fear. Fear was most felt. At first relief. How could he not have felt relief? But a few minutes of complete silence from May. . . Minutes with her only words being an obviously deep lie: "He didn't do anything!" He now felt lost, and scared. The relief for her physical safety remained but was tinged in an anxiousness for her mental state. May had been through something. Just knowing that she may have been through something horrible, but having no idea what that horrible thing was, was driving him crazy with worry. And maybe that was what built the wall. Because despite the relief of her safety, she couldn't say what had hurt her, and he couldn't ask. There was a wall, and for now there was nothing that either of them could do to fix it. Not until May was ready.

He hated it. This wasn't May. He knew he should expect it. It wasn't as though she could just heal herself in one hour, and he had no idea what had happened.

Finally, with the morning sun shining on their backs, they reached the edge of a litter of small shops, lining the streets on both sides, the green that May had been taken from sitting beautifully in the middle. Ash pointedly ignored it and he guessed that May was as well, or perhaps she didn't draw anything from the site. She remained still on his back.

The shops were not yet opened. It was still to early. Ash felt a strong urge to just drop into the first bench they passed but thinking of May, of still not quite understanding what had happened to her, drove that thought out of his mind in an instant. He had to get May to someone who could help her, and _then_ they could rest.

They walked past a row of benches, each one looking more inviting than the last, until they finally reached a pay phone against the back of one of the larger (albeit still small) shops, a bakery. Only then did Ash finally turn and set her down behind him. Once she was sitting he stood up, getting the uncomfortable kinks out of his back as he stood strait for the first time in about an hour, and then started towards the pay phone. He hardly got two paces before he felt himself stopped, a hand on the bottom of his vest. He turned to  
>May.<p>

She was looking away, obviously struggling. Didn't she want to get to somewhere soon? Ash felt a brief moment of confusion before she spoke in a somewhat motherly tone.

"Come right back."

The last word came out as more of a question than intended, almost a plea. He understood instantly, and felt his hands tighten without his consent as she continued to hold onto him and look away as if she were doing something wrong.

She was scared. Irrationally so, but still understandably. And she was obviously annoyed, most likely at herself, when really she had no reason to get upset at herself in the first place.

He let out a breath of anxious air to calm himself, anger back but covered by caring concern. He answered in the only way he could think too. "I will."

For a moment they just stared at each other, and both seemed to come to same conclusion at the same time. A rather embarrassing conclusion: That they were both standing right beside each other, hesitant to separate so that Ash could walk fifteen feet to the pay-phone.

Ash cleared his throat awkwardly and carefully pulled himself backwards just as May let go. "I'm going to call a taxi to take you to the hospital."

May nodded. Ash could have just called the hospital to come and get her, but despite the stress of the last day it still seemed a little melodramatic, and he was sure that May wouldn't appreciate him calling them so they could take her away on a stretcher. One thing she still needed was her self-respect. And Ash understood that.

He called a taxi and the driver asked no questions when Ash said nothing but to take them to the hospital and pushed May in first, a hand on her arm. He was feeling over-protective, the way an older brother might in his situation, and it bothered him a little, but he didn't have time to think about it. He was too concerned for May.

The taxi driver didn't ask for money, simply stated to make sure that she was alright before driving off, and Ash thought for a moment that the smaller places seemed to have much kinder people, much like his hometown in places. Then he held out a hand to May and walked her into the front of the building and strait to the front desk, explaining quickly that she had been tied in an alley way for a day and half and they needed a check up at least. May blushed and looked around them as if somebody would find something demeaning to say to her on the subject while Ash hit himself internally. The nurse seemed to think neither of their thoughts and gasped in shock, immediately finding her a doctor and a room. The nurse lead them to a room, a rather large one for a check-up, and a moment later a male doctor walked in. He took in the state of May in one quick swipe, eyes lingering on her wrists while the nurse explained the situation quickly. When she finished he rose an eyebrow at the nurse as if she had said something she shouldn't have and turned to May, asking in a tone that suggested he was trying to be kind, "Would you prefer a female doctor for your check-up, miss?"

Ash felt his heart plummet to the bottom of his stomach and stay there. There weren't many reasons that he would ask that question, but Ash hadn't allowed himself to consider the same. He supposed that there weren't many reasons to be tied alone in an alley way. Instantly he felt sick. Harley wouldn't do anything . . . like that? Would he? He chanced a fearful glance at May. Her eyes were wide, expression open, as if surprised that he would even ask that. Ash was calmed for a moment, but then she nodded and the fear returned full force, and he knew he was getting no answers from May.

The doctor nodded and swept stoically from the room. The silence was worse than before with Ash fearing the worst and May firmly avoiding his gaze, something akin to sympathy mixed with her other emotions, flitting in her blue eyes.

Another doctor walked in. A female with a feeling of superiority but still sincerely kind eyes. She asked he leave without anything else being said. Ash clenched his fists, and nodded, unable to resist the urge to glance back and offer a small look of encouragement that he was sure she missed.

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><p><strong>AN I know it's short. And the suspense is probably deafening at this point. I'm sorry. But this is all that I have time to write right now and I wanted to upload at least something for you all before the Fourth of July, which I won't be updating on, because I don' t think anyone will be on anyway. If you'll be on and want an update tomorrow anyway then let me know and maybe I will. :) That's not meant as a superiority thing, I just mean that if you let me know you want an update then I'll have somebody to update for, because someone would want it. :] **

**PLEASE READ: Also, just so there are no panic attacks, I'm trying to keep real with what Ash or anybody would be thinking or feeling at a moment like this, it doesn't mean all of his thoughts and fears are correct. Keep that in mind. I was so out of it when I wrote this but I feel like I need to upload it. I hope it isn't a let down. :( This will not be an for adults only, depression fanfic, so do not fear the worst. I will not let the story get to that depressing point.**

**And now I must go because I'm know that I sound ridiculous. My mind isn't where it should be and wasn't when I rewrote this chapter (which I had to do twice! stupid computer . . . ) I didn't look over this very well. So I apologize for any mistakes that may have taken away from the reading experience at all. I don't have time, I'm sorry.**

**Please review, tell me what you think. Curse my name for updating another chapter that isn't leading enough towards the plot. :P **Regardless**, I sincerely hope that it was at least a bit enjoyable. Thank you all for reading. You give me everything I need to keep writing. Thank you especially to those who take the time to give me a small review. It makes the work worth it, and man has this story been written and rewritten.**

**Alright, weird mood. Bye now. Drew's "choice words" will come in the next chapter.**


	8. Fear

_Do you breathe the name of your savior in your hour of need,  
>And taste the blame if the flavor should remind you of greed?<br>Of implication, insinuation and ill will, 'til you cannot lie still . . .  
><em>

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><p>Ash's fingers were digging into his palms, threatening to tear through skin.<p>

He was upset. May was in the hospital with a bleeding ankle and bleeding wrists (and God knows what else), along with a _female_ doctor, just in case there _was_ something else. He might throw up.

The worry and anger were battling for dominance and he could hardly stand for the emotions raging through him. Anger at the doctor for his suggestion that only made him worry more. Anger at Drew for his lack of help in finding May. Anger at Harley for what he had done and for whatever else he might've done (of what Ash _still_ didn't know.) Anger at himself.

Anger at himself was the worst. He shouldn't have left her in the green. He should have watched her. He should have at least been close enough to hear her when she left with Harley. How had he missed that? How had she possibly left without him hearing? How had he missed Harley's voice? He had to have talked to her. Was he that absorbed with himself? That he would completely miss one of his best friends being kidnapped?

Ash sat down on a long padded bench in the waiting room, placing his head over his locked hands with a sigh. Pikachu leaned over Ash's shoulder to look at him in concern, sighing in concern when Ash did nothing to take in anything outside his own thoughts.

The waiting room was small. One bench with no backrest lined most of the wall, which Ash was now occupying. He seemed to be giving off an aura of worry as no one cared to sit near him. There was a small padded chair in one of the corners, and box of toys in the one beside it. Against the wall opposite Ash was a small row of four chairs, two of which were occupied by an elderly couple. Neither of them seemed to be in any sort of pain, but it was hard to tell why a person would visit a hospital.

A child searched through the toys, but no one else was present in the small room so Ash assumed in passing that she was the elderly couples' grandchild. Now she pulled a little car from the toy chest with a triumphant, "Ha!" Ash glanced at her out of the corner of his eye (it was hard to ignore the outburst), and felt a twitch in the corner of his mouth despite himself. She placed it on the ground beside herself and proceeded to cover it with the hem of her rather short white dress. "Uh-oh. How will they get out? They'll have to dig!" And the toy car came into view from beneath the folds of her dress and onto her leg.

Ash couldn't help it. He choked on a laugh trying to hold it in. She looked up and stared at him for a moment, looking between his eyes. Then, apparently deciding that he was OK to talk to, she said seriously, "They were buried in the snowrift."

Ash blinked. Snowrift?

"What's that?" He didn't have much room in his mind for small talk, asking things strait out seemed a much better way to go at the moment.

She blinked back at him. "You know, a snowed rift. When somebody's all stuck under the snow."

Ah. It should have been obvious really. Snowdrift.

"Are they OK?" His voice was quieter than he would usually talk, but for some reason it seemed wrong to talk louder.

She nodded. "Yep, when they got stuck under, they pulled back their stick and _vrrmed_ all the way out of there." She picked the toy car up and drove it in a fast circle around herself. Ash finally took in her appearance. She was wearing an all white dress, with small string sleeves, understandable in the thick heat, and bare feet (which was strange). The only thing completely off about her outfit was the red and pink bandana on her head. It was hazardly tied in the back, and looked ready to fall off. Still the only hair that showed beneath it were a couple thin strands of orange-red hair peeking out from beneath the flap of one side.

Ash stared, suddenly transfixed, as she turned away from him and began to look through the chest again, car abandoned next to her almost_ too small_ knee.

You didn't see that shade of hair very often. It was rare. Almost exactly like . . .

"Hey look!" He jumped as he was pulled roughly from his thoughts, the little girl popping up right in front of his face with her hands closed in front of her, held out to Ash in what looked to be excitement.

Ash looked at her hands in confusion as he took in the obvious glee in her gaze. "Um-"

"This is for you!"

Ash froze when she opened her hands, a few strands of orange-red hair held in her palms. He looked immediately up into her eyes, finding nothing but excitement there. Pikachu stared at her hands, both of them confused but Ash moreso. He felt unable to speak, almost scared. Was she offering him . . . some of her _hair_? His gaze was drawn to her hair line as he only just discovered that there _was_ no hair line. Her bandana was pulled up just a bit past her forehead, and where roots would be, there was nothing.

Looking back into her small hands holding out little curly strands of what was left of her hair, he wanted to do or say something but had no idea what.

Finally Pikachu nudged his cheek and side as if to urge him to move and he held his hands up shakily as she finally dropped the strands into his palms.

He turned to look at the elderly couple to see what they thought of the development and was surprised when they only stared with pity. It was obvious that his earlier assumption had been wrong. They weren't related to this young girl. So where was her family?

"Emily! Honey, you're not supposed to be in here." A young nurse entered the room, looking relieved to have finally located the girl.

The girl frowned, a pout starting. "But I was just playing."

"Well . . . you're not supposed to play in here. We have another room for you to play in. Lots of toys."

"But I like it in here. Everyone's mean and its too full of people to play at all!"

Ash took in the growing scene with wide eyes. It seemed that his recent assumption was right. The girl was sick.

As the nurse reached them she paled, looking from Ash's still hands to the girl's pouting gaze.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry. She seems to think that people like, um, like her hair."

Emily frowned. "Well, it's true, isn't it? People are always happy to get my hair. They always say thank you."

The nurse looked at her in pity, then back to Ash. "I'm sorry, sir." Then she reached down and took Emily's hand. "C'mon sweetie, lets go back to the other room, ok? These people need quiet right now."

"But I'm quiet." She whined, coming along with the nurse despite her earlier words.

Ash watched them as they began to walk off in silence. Then the girl stopped and pulled on the nurse's resisting hands, smiling at Ash as the nurse tried to get her to move on. "You're nice, mister." Then she finally gave into the nurse and went with her.

Ash looked back at his hands, staring at the strawberry strands as if transfixed, and suddenly wanted to cry. There was something _wrong_ with that girl. Something different about that beautifully innocent child. She was small. Good. Had she ever done something to deserve what was happening to her? Was she sick mentally? He would never know.

Had May deserve what had happened to her? Did anyone ever? Did a good God even exist?

He choked, holding back his emotion. It seemed wrong that a day should shake him so much. 24 hours to throw him so thoroughly. But was it their fault? Would a good God really let someone, an innocent child, have a mental disease or let someone be kidnapped?

He moaned and leaned back, his head hitting the wall. This was the moment when it all hit him. Was there any reason to this? Would May ever be able to talk about it? Was there anything he could do about it?

His eyes opened suddenly. There was something. And it wasn't much, but it was something. And with his lack of control he felt a need to do it, almost a driving desperation. He had to do it.

He stood and headed to the exit, glancing back at the last moment. May would be fine.

"_You're nice mister!"_

His jaw clenched. Yes, he had to act.

Ash's feet hit the concrete outside the edge of the hospitol grounds and for a moment, only a moment, he wondered at what to do. May was in the hospitol, Harley was missing, and he had no idea where to go next. Everything within the last few stressful hours had led up to May being found. And now that she was, what next?

Pikachu moved on Ash's shoulder. He was out of it. So much so that he was practically ignoring Pikachu. He didn't mean to. He wasn't trying to do it, and really, just the familiar weight on his shoulder was very comforting to him. One thought led to the next, and Ash remembered May's pokemon. Wondered if they were still in the Green or if they had wandered off somewhere. He felt even more guilry, but he attempted to quell it with the thought that May was safe. He had had to do it himself. He hadn't had time to get them.

It wasn't working.

_He had had to do it himself_. Suddenly he thought of something that he needed to do. Something crucial. Why _did_ he have to do it himself? Hadn't someone been helping him at the start? Why had he stopped?

Ash's hands clenched. He had felt numb for a moment. Emotions were weird that way. Once they went to high, enough of a shock and they turned off. But now it came rushing back with full force. Maybe he only needed something to take all the anxiousness out on, some way to vent the experience.

* * *

><p>Drew opened his eyes.<p>

The room was spinning, spinning like a top. He admired the colors. So much yellow, hints of brown They looked good that way. Mixing like the cake batter he had watched his neighbor make her son for his birthday once. She had been nice. Had his mother ever done that for him? He couldn't remember.

Suddenly he realized what he was doing. Laying on his back and admiring a spinning ceiling. But why? Why was the room spinning? And why . . . when had he fallen asleep?

He shook his head, willing a sudden headache away when the room continued to spin. After a moment it stopped and he sat up, slowly blinking as he cleared his vision. When finally he could sit up without feeling like he was going to fall down again, he calmly looked around his room. It looked normal, because it _was_ normal of course. But what . . . what was wrong with it?

The confusion hit him full force as he woke fully. This was . . . familiar. What had happened? Why was he inside? When had he gotten there? He shivered, spiders crawling up his back as if a presence had moved beside him. He spun around and came up empty just as a knock came from the door.

He jumped and after a few moments, moments that still felt as though he was being watched, gulped. He stared longer than he felt he should of, and then heard a voice on the other side of the door.

"I know you're in there! Answer the door!"

The words hit him before the voice did and he found himself shaking. 'Why am I-?' He raised his hands and wrapped them around himself, incredulous about himself. 'What's wrong with me?'

"Open the door. I need to talk to you."

Drew stared at the door, feeling eyes on his neck, and dropped his hands. 'It's just Ash.' He took a calming breath, willing away paranoia. Nothing was wrong. "It's Ash," he muttered. And though they weren't friends, they were on somewhat friendly terms. His feeling countered what he knew, and he tried to raise his knowledge above the fear he felt.

He quenched it and rose, heading to the door and opening it. He was met with a glaring Ash.

Ash stared at him, his ire rising as Drew stared cluelessly at him, looking confused and just the opposite to his regular self.

Now that he was there, Ash had no idea what to say. Oh, there were plenty of things he _wanted_ to say, but what?

The more he stared at Drew the more angry he felt. He didn't notice the change in Drew. Didn't feel that something was out of place. Not only in Drew, but in _him_.

Drew spoke. Same expression, matching confused tone, and Ash snapped.

"What's your pr-"

Drew hit the ground .

"You-" Ash shook and Drew stared at him in shock.

Beneath the anger Ash was confused. He was angry, but he hadn't been _this_ angry. What had happened?

Finally Drew reacted. "What is your problem? What-"

"May's in the hospital."

Drew froze.

"You . . . You. . . Ugh! You were supposed to be helping me! You were supposed to find her! But you just leave it on me? Let me make this clear, I don't care if I ever see you again. I don't care that you didn't find her. I don't need you. _**I**_ don't care! But May-" Ash stopped and stared, only now taking in Drew's reaction. To Drew it seemed that he was staring through him, not really looking _at_ him.

Ash stopped and bowed his head, the fist he had used shaking beside him. Drew didn't know what to say.

"Why is she in the hospital?" he finally whispered.

Ash blinked. His next word was deliberate, well emphasized. "What?"

"Why is she in the hospital?"

Ash took in his expression. The same one he had seen when he had entered. Apprehension, and fear, and curiosity combined. It was so not like Drew that it led him to the conclusion. Was he acting? Ash's hands shook. "I was hoping you could tell me?

Drew blinked, his brows coming together in deeper confusion. Ash's teeth came together, grinding painfully. "Don't you dare look at me like that! You knew where she was! You knew _well_ before I did! You gave me that note! You were the one who directed me to her! Why didn't you already help her?"

Drew just stared at him, mouth open. "What are you talking about?"

Ash couldn't believe it. He didn't know what to feel. He was so overwhelmed with emotion that he could hardly see him. How could he ask? How could he just stare at him like that? Like he could somehow _not_ know what he was talking about?

Drew rose, touched his cheek, winced and whispered dangerously, "I think you'd better leave."

Ash's entire body shook. He was getting nowhere. He was so helpless he couldn't stand it. Drew was right. He needed to leave, needed to leave before he did something he would forever regret.

"If you _ever_ come near May again. . ." Ash looked Drew strait into the eye so he would know that with no lack of certainty, he meant what he said, ". . . you'll regret it."

Drew leaned against the door, mind spinning. He should have asked. Why didn't he ask? Should he go to May? Would she want him to? Why was she in the hospital?

He had felt almost pushed to get Ash out of his room. He was still shaking from the overwhelming fear he had felt, the eyes watching him.

Now more than ever he had to admit.

Something was definately wrong.

Should he go to May?

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><p><strong>AN This is a little rushed and unfinished, but I figure an incomplete update is better than no update at all. I'm really sorry for the long wait and I'll try to update more frequently. Hope you enjoyed it!**


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